This application is related to Disclosure Document No. 455,461 filed Apr. 23, 1999.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to automobile accessories and, more specifically, to a universal device for facilitating movement into and out of a seat, including egress and ingress from a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Demographics show that the world""s population is shifting toward a dramatic increase in the numbers of mature and elderly people (people older than 60 years). A large and growing proportion of this population relies on automobile transportation. Moreover, in the United States people of all ages and transportation needsxe2x80x94from work to healthcare, recreation and social activitiesxe2x80x94are relying more and more on their automobiles as their primary mode of transportation.
Many people have difficulty rising from a seated position because of age, infirmity, disability or other chronic or acute condition. This is frequently of greater concern when such people are seated in automobiles, as either drivers or passengers, because such seats are arranged at different angles of inclination and variable heights above the ground level. In some cases, particularly with larger vehicles, such as the growing number of vans and sports utility vehicles in which the seats are generally higher above the ground, a passenger must lower the trunk of his or her body relative to the seat in order to reach the ground and assume a standing position. In other cases, particularly in connection with sportier cars having lower centers of gravity, the seats are generally very low and close to the ground, and the passenger needs to raise or elevate the trunk of his or her body before assuming a standing position on the ground.
Today there are approximately 35 million Americans over the age of 65, 90% of whom have active driver""s licences and 78% of whom rely on passenger vehicles as their primary mode of transportation. It is estimated that in less than ten years this number will increase to approximately 50 million. These numbers will almost double when considering Americans in the age group 55-64 who use their cars more than other groups for recreation, shopping and errands.
In addition to these numerous mature Americans, there are many more individuals who have chronic diseases, such as arthritis, chronic back pain, etc. Many such drivers and passengers of vehicles have different degrees or levels of difficulty in entering or leaving a wide variety of vehicles. While designers of automobiles are beginning to address the issue of aging drivers and passengers in order to better accommodate the needs of such individuals, the focus until now has been on modifying aspects of the automobile that primarily assist drivers in operating the vehicles safely. Thus, modifications in this area have included providing larger dashboard controls, flatter doors and re-designed trunk handles. The one major unmet need that manufacturers have thus far overlooked is the problem of exiting and entering a vehicle itself, this being a problem of paramount importance to the broad public described above. The modifications that have thus far been proposed, such as larger gages, etc., will not aid in exiting and entering the car.
Several devices have been proposed for assisting passengers in exiting a motor vehicle. However, these have had a number of disadvantages. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,339, a U-shaped handle member is secured to a door post of a high ground clearance passenger vehicle. The handle member is secured to the door post at a point along its vertical length to be in a position to be grasped by the hand of a vehicle entrant so that the entrant may apply a lifting force to assist themself into the vehicle. However, the handle is permanently attached to the door post and is generally arranged within the passenger compartment. In order to be accessible to a person outside of the vehicle, the handle extends laterally of the door post and may, in some instances, actually interfere with the entry or egress from the vehicle. Also, because the handle is permanently mounted, it is only useful for that one door and that one vehicle. Too, the user does not have the option of removing the handle when not in us or if the handle interferes with passengers or cargo within the compartment, or if the user is not pleased with the aesthetic appearance of the handle projecting into the compartment.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,169, a handicap assist apparatus is disclosed which is secured to the roof of the vehicle above the passenger compartment. The bar intended to be grasped is suspended by means of a flexible tether line in the form of a chain. However, the use of this device requires the drilling of a hole in the roof of the vehicle, which could, if not properly sealed, result in water leaking through the opening into the passenger compartment. Additionally, the mounting of the apparatus is intended to be permanent, this interfering with the passenger sitting below the apparatus, as when driving.
A handle for a vehicle window is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,511. However, such device has a number of disadvantages. The handle mounting member, which includes a hook, simply rests on the top edge of the window but is not otherwise fixed and therefore can slide along the edge. This does not provide the level of stability that is required in any given instance. Applying sufficiently strong pulling force on the handle could, in some instances, damage or break the window glass; additionally, and most important, because the window glass is part of the door, and the door is pivotally mounted on hinges, the application of a pulling or pushing force on the handle could result in corresponding movements of the door itself, again resulting in a deterioration of the stability that a user clearly requires in entering or exiting the vehicle and/or preventing bodily harm.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,562, access handgrips for use during ingress and egress from a vehicle are disclosed. The handgrips disclosed in this patent are primarily intended to be use with enhanced capacity vehicles (ECV). The handgrips are formed on the front seat and/or an interior body panel disposed on a narrow wall of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. However, the positioning of such handgrips inside of the passenger compartment does not always provide the reach or degree of leverage that may be required by an individual entering or leaving a vehicle. Additionally, because these handgrips are, in some cases, mounted on a seat, this may render such access handgrips unavailable or inconvenient to grasp when the vehicle seat is reclined, folded and/or removed from the vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,016, a structural aid is disclosed for facilitating egress from a vehicle. The disclosed aid includes a sleeve mounted in a doorframe of the vehicle and a handlebar is insertable therein. The handlebar includes a sleeve-engaging portion adapted to be inserted in and withdrawn from the sleeve. The sleeve and the handlebar are configured so that when the sleeve-engaging portion is inserted into the sleeve, the handlebar extends generally outwardly from the vehicle and the handle portion is positioned so as to be readily grasped by an occupant of the vehicle. This device has a number of disadvantages. First, the design requires the formation of generally large apertures within the door post flange on which the doors are pivotally mounted by means of hinges. Such substantial apertures may significantly cause a deterioration of the integrity or strength of the flange in supporting a relatively heavy door. Considering that very strict guidelines are imposed by the federal government for various loads that must be sustained by door hinge and latch assemblies, any tampering with such components could result in conditions which do not satisfy the established requirements and, moreover, damage the operation and safety of such doors. So, the device may only be used with the doors that have been modified. Since the installation is an expensive one and use is limited to one door alone, the device is usable only in select circumstances by only one passenger. Additionally, the elongate portion forming the part of the handlebar is inserted into the aperture in the mounting plate from outside of the vehicle. While the handle portion may be pulled toward the vehicle, a force on the handle portion tending to push the same away from the vehicle would cause the handlebar to slide out of the aperture. Thus, while the structural aid disclosed in this patent could provide support when a passenger pulls on the handlebar towards the vehicle, it does not provide the necessary support if conditions require a pushing on the handlebars. As such, the structural aid of this patent is not usable by the individual under all conditions and, therefore, is not universal in that respect. Also, as the device must be inserted into the narrow, directed sleeve from the outside by moving it towards the vehicle, it is nar impossible for any given passenger looking to use the device to exit the car to install the device themself (particularly from a normal sitting position).
It will be appreciated that many of the difficulties that have been described are also applicable when a person in the aforementioned class attempts to sit down into or leave almost any seat, including chairs, couches, wheelchairs, or the like. The same or similar solutions proposed can also be used, with possible minor modifications with almost any seat.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device which is universal in its functionality and can be used for facilitating movement into and out of a seat, including ingress and egress from any vehicle seat, irrespective of the nature of the vehicle or seat therein, as well as almost any seat such as chairs, couches, wheelchairs, and the like.
It is another object of the invention to provide a universal device which does not have the disadvantages inherent in prior art comparable devices.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a universal device of the type under discussion which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a universal device which is easy and convenient to use, portable, lightweight, secure and practical.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a universal device as in the previous objects which is portable and can be used by different passengers on different vehicles or by different passengers on the same vehicle.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a universal device of the type under consideration which can be readily and conveniently adjusted to accommodate a specific passenger, and automobile.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a universal device that does not interfere with the operation of usability of the vehicle and/or the vehicular compartment.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a universal device as in the previous objects that can be used without damaging or deteriorating the performance of any of the components of the vehicle.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a universal device which can sustain substantial forces or loads in assisting a passenger in entering or exiting a vehicle.
It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a universal device that can be used with all sizes and styles of vehicles, including vehicles that have low and higher centers of gravity and, therefore, have passenger seats that are located relatively close to the ground and those that are substantially above ground level.
It is yet an additional object of the invention to provide a universal device that can be used equally effectively under circumstances that require a passenger to apply a pulling force on the device when entering or exiting a vehicle or a pushing force, per individual preference.
It is a further additional object of the invention to provide a universal device that can be used with almost any seat, including vehicle seats, such as chairs, couches, wheelchairs and the like.
In order to achieve the above objects, as well as others which will become apparent hereinafter, a universal device in accordance with the present invention is used for facilitating movement into and out of a seat, including egress and/or ingress of a passenger from a vehicle. Typically, vehicles have a substantially vertical post or pillar to one side of the passenger seat part of which defines a lateral surface generally facing the passenger positioned at least partially through the door opening. The device includes an elongate member having a handle at one end suitable for being gripped by the passenger. Securement means is provided for cooperating with the other end of said elongate member for securing said elongate member to said lateral surface to enable said elongate member to extend away from the vehicle and position said handle exteriorly of the vehicle, and for providing support to the passenger independently of whether the passenger pulls on said handle in a direction generally up towards the vehicle or pushes on said handle in a direction generally down from the vehicle. In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment, said securement means comprises an engaging member that is at least partially received within a striker and configured to cooperate therewith to provide support to a user whether he or she is pushing and/or pulling on the handle. With minor design changes, the device can be used in conjunction with other seats, including chairs, sofas, wheelchairs and other seats.